


I'll Love You Till The Sun Dies

by ymnfilter



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Domestic Bliss, F/M, Fluff, Light Angst, POV Martha Jones, POV Outsider, Rose Tyler Loves the Doctor, The Doctor Loves Rose Tyler
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-05
Updated: 2020-11-05
Packaged: 2021-03-09 06:01:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,481
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27399907
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ymnfilter/pseuds/ymnfilter
Summary: Martha, on an alien planet with the Doctor finds a past version of him having a picnic with Rose Tyler.“Well, I have something for you too.”“Oh?” The Doctor looked intrigued and Rose giggled before turning around to get the flower crown she had made for him before. The Doctor laughed when he saw what she was holding, but obligingly lowered his head so she could place the crown delicately on his hair. They were adorable together, and Martha was sure if she wasn’t in love with the Doctor herself, she would’ve cooed at the pair of them.“Aw, you look so pretty!” Rose exclaimed when the Doctor raised his head back up and he rolled his eyes even as he preened a little.“Rose Tyler, I am not pretty, I will have you know. I am extremely manly and handsome.”
Relationships: Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler, The Doctor (Doctor Who)/Rose Tyler
Comments: 19
Kudos: 173





	I'll Love You Till The Sun Dies

**Author's Note:**

> I solemnly believe that Rose and The Doctor were dating at least by the second half of season 2. So, for me, this is very much in the realm of canon-compliant. I hope you like this. I love Outsider POVs. And I always love the idea of various companions reacting to the masterpiece that was tenrose. I'm still fairly new to the fandom, o go easy on me ;)
> 
> tumblr: [@ymnfilter](https://ymnfilter.tumblr.com)  
> twitter: [@ymnfilter](https://twitter.com/ymnfilter)
> 
> ALLONS-Y!

Martha looked up at the pale blue almost white sky as she stepped out of the TARDIS, the Doctor right behind her. There were no clouds and the temperature definitely suggested that it was a sunny summer day but the leaves on the trees surrounding them were all warm autumn oranges and reds. She hesitated for a moment before shucking of her red leather jacket even as she looked around the new alien planet the Doctor had taken her to and tossed the article inside the TARDIS before the Doctor closed the door, 

"So, where are we?" 

"Therocera 29-7. It was originally famous for its picnic spots. Lots of nature and almost always the perfect weather. The water in the streams here sparkles pink under the sun." The Doctor explained, and his lip twitched up in a smile at the last statement,"It's one of the best planets if you want to take a bit of a reprieve ."

Martha blinked. This was a surprise. A stop on their travels where they wouldn't have to run for their lives? She could do with a bit of that. Not to mention, a picnic sounded kind of sort of romantic, and Martha couldn't stop a bit of flush riding to her cheeks even as she teased, "Are you taking me on a picnic, Doctor?" 

The Doctor, where he had been surveying the surroundings turned to her with a funny look on his face, "I need to stock up on Hysleria. It's a type of oil. The TARDIS loves it. The only kind that helps unstick her lever. There's a shop owner here I know personally. Mrs.Janettite. She always gives me a discount." Then he grinned, "It's a perfectly safe planet to wander around in though." The doctor continued, and tilted his head in the general direction of the shop he was looking for, "I'll see you around after I'm done shopping."

Martha watched him go, not having been able to get a word in edgewise. She could recognize dismissal when she saw it though. Though, why the Doctor would mind her tagging along with him while he shopped for the TARDIS was beyond her. She shook her head, disappointed but not really surprised. Adventures with the Doctor were fun. But they'd ever done anything even remotely romantic. Maybe, the Doctor just didn't feel things that way. He was an alien after all. 

She sighed, and then trudged towards the woods in the opposite direction. They weren't thick enough that she was afraid she would get lost, but they were still lush and beautiful. Whatever, just because the Doctor didn't want to spend some time relaxing under the sun, doesn't mean she couldn't enjoy a nice soak all by herself. 

She hmmed to herself as she walked and took in the people around her. The local population were bipedal, but seemed to have 4 arms instead of two. They were all dark skinned, and had vibrant emerald green hair and eyes. Most of them regardless of male and female seemed to be muscular and Martha couldn't help but feel a little intimidated even though this was one of the few times her skin color didn't make her stand out. The people were friendly though, and she exchanged smiles with a couple of them before she found the stream the Doctor was talking about. 

It was pink, just like the doctor had said, but unlike the vibrate hot pink she had imagined, the stream was a soft blush shade, sparkling under the sun. Martha fell in love with it instantly. There weren't a lot of people around and Martha had just decided to lie down and call it her spot when a woman sitting a little ways in front of her stopped her in her tracks. 

It was her appearance that surprised her. She was human alright. Two arms, fair skin, light hair and dark eyes. She definitely wasn't a local. She was sitting on a blue checkered picnic blanket, a wicker basket next to her. In a light yellow sundress and strappy white heeled sandals she looked like she had come straight out of some kind of an outdoor-sy magazine. 

Martha didn't know why, but she found herself edging closer to the cluster of trees around them in order to be out of her line of sight. Not that the woman was paying her surroundings any attention anyway. There was a book next to her, open and upside down so as to not lose her spot, but her entire attention was on the red and yellow flowers in front of her. It took a while of staring creepily for Martha to realise what the woman was doing, but when she did, Martha smiled. 

_ Flower crowns. She was making flower crowns.  _ It was adorable. 

Martha watched as she completed a crown of red flowers. The woman's smile was radiant as she placed the crown on herself, the strong red of the petals contrasting nicely with the gold of her hair. Martha was itching to introduce herself to the woman, but she had no idea how she would react to seeing another human being on an alien planet. Besides, people watching has always been fun for Martha. She continued watching as the woman worked on another flower crown, this time yellow and then set it aside when it was complete

_ Ah. She probably was with someone then.  _

The girl then stretched her legs and leaning against a tree picked up the open book. Martha had just made the decision to go ahead and introduce herself anyway when she heard another pair of footsteps crunching towards the picnic blanket. Her eyes widened when she saw who it was and she hid herself further still. 

The Doctor was there. Same fluffy hair, same brown overcoat. His suit underneath was different though. A brown pinstripe instead of the blue he had been wearing when she’d seen him last. And the soft content smile on his face was something she had never seen before. 

"Hello." The not-Doctor's voice was warm as he gazed down at the woman, who greeted him back with a wide smile, 

"Hey. Did you get what we came for?" 

"Yeah. Mrs.Jeanette was asking after you. Told me and I quote 'bring that sweetheart of yours with you next time you come, you big goof.'" 

The woman laughed, the sound carrying across like wind chimes as the Doctor settled across from her, shedding off his overcoat and suit jacket, a smile on his face for absolutely no good reason. 

"I still don't understand why you won't let me come with you. Mrs.Jeanette loves me. But as always, I'll let you keep your secrets for the time being."

"It's not a secret, Rose. It's a  _ surprise _ ." The doctor rolled his eyes, as if the distinction was obvious and should never be questioned. Then he gave her a wide smile, "I bought you something."

But Martha wasn't listening anymore. She wasn't sure she was even breathing anymore.  _ That was Rose.  _ She had almost managed to forget the girl's existence, a feat in and off itself considering the Doctor couldn't stop bringing her up. She had tried her best not to think too much about the woman, for the sake of her own sanity if nothing else, but even when she had, the image in her head was the very opposite of this sweet young girl who made flower crowns and enjoyed picnics. Rose in her imagination was a badass who could do anything and everything.  _ Perfect Rose.  _ The Rose in front of her barely looked like he was in her twenties.

“Oh yeah? What is it?” Rose straightened, dog-earring a page of the book she’d been reading before closing it and giving her full attention to the doctor. The doctor shook his head, an amused smirk tilting his lips up,

“Can’t tell you, Rose Tyler. It won’t be a surprise anymore.”

Rose huffed, but didn’t seem put off in the least. Instead, she gave him a cheeky smile, “Well, I have something for you too.”

“Oh?” The Doctor looked intrigued and Rose giggled before turning around to get the flower crown she had made for him before. The Doctor laughed when he saw what she was holding, but obligingly lowered his head so she could place the crown delicately on his hair. They were adorable together, and Martha was sure if she wasn’t in love with the Doctor herself, she would’ve cooed at the pair of them.

“Aw, you look so pretty!” Rose exclaimed when the Doctor raised his head back up and he rolled his eyes even as he preened a little.

“Rose Tyler, I am  _ not  _ pretty, I will have you know. I am extremely manly and handsome.”

“Whatever you say, Doctor.” Rose humored him between laughs and then settled back against the tree. The Doctor’s eyes, when he looked at Rose were so soft, it sort of hurt just to look at him. Then he closed his eyes, and Martha watched, surprised, when in one swift move, he plopped his head down on Rose’s lap, lying perpendicular to her, humming contentedly. Rose smiled softly, and brought her hand to run through his lush hair, careful not to dislodge the flower crown from its place. 

“What were you reading before?” The Doctor asked in a soft murmur, his voice a deep rumble. Rose looked down at the book lying next to her,

“It’s a book of sonnets from Pablo Neruda. The TARDIS recommended it to me last night.”

“Ah! Good ol’ Pablo. Brilliant man! Read it to me.”

Rose raised an eyebrow, “Are you sure, Doctor? Some of these are very romantic. We’re tethering on the edge of domestics.”

The Doctor snorted, but still, his eyes were closed, “Rose, I think we passed that point when I had dinner at that restaurant with you, your mother and that new boyfriend of hers last month.” 

“Okay then.” She picked up her book and thumbed through the pages to the one sonnet she had loved more than all the others. She cleared her throat,

“I don’t love you as if you were the salt-rose, or topaz

Or arrow of carnations that propagate fire:

I love you as certain dark things are to be loved,

Secretly, between the shadow and the soul.

I love you as a plant that doesn’t bloom and carries

Hidden within itself the light of those flowers,

And thanks to your love, darkly in my body

Lives the dense fragrance that rises from the earth.

I love you without knowing from how, or when or from where,

I love you simply, without problems or pride:

I love you in this way because I don’t know any other way of loving

But this, in which there is no I or you.

So intimate that your hand upon my chest is my hand.

So intimate that when I fall asleep, it is your eyes that close.”

She had started reciting the poem with a strong and even voice, but by then end of it, the strength in her tone had tapered off to something much softer and intimate. The Doctor’s eyes were open and vulnerable, and when she looked up from the book, they were looking intensely at her, his lips pressed tight as if to stop himself from saying something neither of them were ready for,

“Rose-” He started, voice hoarse but she didn’t let him continue. Instead, she bent over to press her lips over his in the most chaste of kisses before pulling back to give him a slightly wobbly smile. He smiled back, then pulled her hand from where it had been playing with his hair to intertwine it with his own and placed both of them on his chest. 

They were quiet for a moment, Rose looking up to gaze at the sparkling pink water of the water and the Doctor watching his free hand as it wandered. His fingers rubbed at the thin material of her dress’ hemline and then trailed over the soft skin of her calf, whisper-light touch that had her suppressing a shiver. His fingers played with the straps of her sandals, and he hummed, deep in thought,

“Rose?” He pressed his finger a little firmer against her skin to get her attention,

“Hmm?” 

“You should dress like this more often.”

Martha winced a little. Because God have mercy on any guy who tried to tell her how  _ she  _ should dress. This doctor was so different that if she didn’t know better, she would mistake him for a human. He bought his girlfriend impromptu presents, had dinner with the parents, liked his girlfriend’s short dress and sexy shoes. He was the same man and yet completely different from her own Doctor. She waited for Rose to bristle at the comment but the woman just laughed,

“Maybe you should take me to places like these more often.” She brought up their held hands to press a kiss at the back of his knuckles, “Don’t get me wrong, I love the running. But, If I had to run wearing these, I’m afraid I might break my ankles and then flash someone. In that order.”

“Ah.” The Doctor’s lips twitched in an amused smile, “Can’t have that. Tell you what, We’ll go to New Earth next. I’ll take you to a ball. You can dress up to your heart’s content.”

“Not before a visit to mum’s yeah?”

The Doctor made a face, “We went to Jackie’s last month.” He whined.

“I have laundry I need to take home.”

“The TARDIS can clean your clothes  _ for _ you.” From the tone of their voices, Martha could tell it was an argument they had had numerous times. God, it was almost funny, how domestic they were.

“I know that. But, mum likes to do it. Come on, Doctor. We’ll just stay for tea. I have to give her that bezulium too. The one I picked out last week on space station delta C54.”

The Doctor rolled his eyes, “Fine. But, after that we’re going to a ball in New New York. I love their nibbles.”

Rose rolled her eyes fondly, “Of course, dear.”

The Doctor hummed, then closed his eyes again, a sigh escaping in his lips and making him go almost boneless. Rose bent a little to press another kiss on his forehead and giggled when the Doctor’s lips turned up in a content smile.

Martha watched the both of them as they enjoyed each other’s company quietly. They had that aura about them, as if they were more comfortable with each other than even when they were alone. She had been wondering for months what kind of girl this Rose was, what had made her so special? What would Martha have to do to match up to that ghost of hers that followed the Doctor wherever they went. But, she realised now it wasn't about what Rose could do. It was just that she was Rose. There would only ever be one, and she couldn’t hope to replace her because that Rose shaped hole in the Doctor’s hearts was too unique, too complex, too  _ Rose  _ to be filled by anyone else.

“Martha!” She jumped when she heard the Doctor’s voice but the doctor in front of her was still laying on Rose’s lap, eyes closed and contentment radiating off of him. She spinned around to see  _ her  _ Doctor walking over to her, a tiniest hint of panic in his face, “Martha! There you are. I got the date a little wrong. Mrs.Jeanette just told me there was another me-”

He stopped talking when he saw what Martha was looking at and his face paled. 

“Oh.”

“Doctor?” Martha tried to get his attention, but his entire focus was on the couple in front of him. The devastation on his face was painful to see, and Martha could feel tears gathering in her own eyes.  _ Oh God.  _ She wanted to touch him. Wanted to gather him in her own arms to protect him from that level of heartbreak but she was just as frozen as him.

Something must have happened, something she didn’t understand, because suddenly, the other doctor’s eyes snapped open and he looked directly at them. Martha sucked in a breath when she saw him tense and both the Doctor’s looked at each other from a distance. 

The other Doctor must have read her Doctor’s face accurately because he tensed further, his hand that was intertwined with Rose’s tightening to the degree that she looked up from her book to look at him with concerned eyes,

“Doctor? You alright?” The Doctor forced himself to look away from his future self and instead turned to bury his head against Rose’s soft stomach, pulling his hand away from hers to wrap both arms tightly around her waist. 

“Yeah, I’m alright.” He murmured against the fabric of her dress. Rose, confused, but not knowing what else to do, buried her fingers in his hair, combing the locks of chocolate brown in a way she knew he loved.

“You sure?” She asked hesitantly, bending to place her lips against the back of his head. The Doctor nodded against her stomach, and then placed a kiss there in return. She smiled, he was like a child sometimes, her Doctor. All needy and touchy and lovely. She went back to reading her book, but didn’t stop combing through his hair.

“Rose,” The Doctor asked, his voice still muffled against her. He pulled away just enough to look up at her, “How long are you going to stay with me?”

“Doctor, what’s wrong? We had this conversation just a few days ago.”

“How long, Rose?” He tried his best to keep the desperation out of his voice but from the way Rose’s gaze sharpened in intensity, he knew he didn’t do well enough of a job at it.

“Forever, you daft old alien.” She answered, “I’m going to stay with you forever.”

They looked at each other silently for a moment, then he went back to burying his head against her stomach, “Good. That’s good.”

Martha watched the scene, mouth open. She flinched when she felt someone grip her wrist and then she was being pulled away before she even realised what was happening. Her doctor’s jaw was tight, eyes dark and his grip on her wrist bordering painful. She ran a little to catch up with him so that she wasn’t being dragged and he let go of her to stuff both his hands in his pockets,

“I’m so sorry, Doctor.” She said when they reached the TARDIS, the silence between them having turned oppressive. The Doctor shook his head,

“It doesn’t matter.”

She hesitated, then asked the question that had been niggling at the back of her mind, “What did you get her?”

“Sorry?” The Doctor wouldn’t look at her, instead working on the console to get them out of here as soon as possible.

“The other Doctor. He said he bought her something. A surprise. What was it?”

The Doctor didn’t answer, and she felt the TARDIS dematerialize. She was sure she wasn’t going to get anything from him but then he surprised her by digging into his inner jacket pocket and pulling out a small velvet box, and Martha’s breath hitched. He walked closer and handed it to her,

She wasn’t breathing as she opened the box, a part of her, even after all that she had seen, hoped for it to be a pair of earrings, or maybe a pendant. But, no, it was a ring. A delicate rose-gold band holding a large crystal clear diamond Martha didn’t even want to guess the price of. 

“Did she say no?” She couldn’t imagine Rose saying no. Not after she had seen them both together. But why else would he-

“No. No, I- I didn’t get to ask. We were separated before- I will lose her right after that picnic. We go to her mother’s house. I ask for permission but she- I lose her.”

“Oh.” She doesn’t know what to say. An apology seems so shallow, but what else is there? The Doctor seems to be of the same mind because all he does is give her a jerky nod, take the ring back and then goes off further into the TARDIS. She has no doubt that the next time she sees him he’ll be all manic and excited again, burying his hurt, craving another adventure, as if nothing’s changed. 

But things  _ have _ changed. Martha has changed. Her feelings have changed. She loves the doctor, she suspects quite a big part of her always will. But, she knows better than to hope now. It was going to be Rose. It was  _ always _ going to be Rose.

God, she hopes he finds her someday.

**Author's Note:**

> If you liked it, kudos and comments are always appreciated.  
> Thank you to Pablo Neruda, I love his sonnets but sonnet 17 is superior for obvious reasons.  
> If you would like to know when I upload new works or if you just want to talk, you can catch me on:
> 
> tumblr: [@ymnfilter](https://ymnfilter.tumblr.com)  
> twitter: [@ymnfilter](https://twitter.com/ymnfilter)
> 
> ALLONS-Y!


End file.
